The Forgotten
by WitchGirl
Summary: A young redhead finds out she's related to Harry Potter. This is the start of her life, her friendships with the Weasley twins and one man named Remus Lupin. Eventually, she learns, she is more than the forgotten daughter of James and Lily Potter.
1. Dreams of a Forgotten Childhood

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The Forgotten

A/N: If people like this chapter, please say so in the reviews. This story sounds like a cliché and I know you all probably think you know where it's going but you don't. Trust me, I thought I knew where it was going too, but then I decided to do this over-done story a little differently. I will be uploading a chapter everyday, or trying to anyway.

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Summary: In Holly's fifth year at Hogwarts, Remus Lupin comes to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. That's when Holly begins to dream of a forgotten childhood, and unfamiliar people that she had never before given a second thought. 

Chapter One: Dreams of a Forgotten Childhood

"Holly." The woman kneeled down to the girl's level, "Holly, I want you to listen to me. We're going to play a little game, OK? You like games, don't you?"  
"Yes, Mummy!" The toddler grinned.

"OK. We're going to play hide and seek, OK? I want you to run to the best hiding spot you know where no one will ever, ever find you."

"Yes, Mummy!"

"OK, honey. Now go, quickly!" The woman hurried the child along. The toddler ran out the back door and into the garden. Before she went to hide in the bushes, she wanted to see if her mother was cheating and watching where she was going.

She jumped up on a log and put her stubby little fingers on the sill of the window. Her brown eyes appeared just above it. She saw her mother talking to her father. She couldn't make out the words. Her mother seemed nervous. Her father looked past her mother at the child in the window. He motioned for her to run. The girl grinned again as she ran and hid in some bushes in the garden.

As Holly sat there, giggling slightly with excitement, she heard glass break.

"Damn it, Lily!" she heard from the house, "It's not going to happen! I don't want to have this conversation with you!"

"I am only saying that I think Sirius was more of a-"  
"Lily, we will be fine. There is nothing to worry about." His voice was calmer now. Holly didn't hear anything after that. She saw her mother appear in the back door with a slight smile.

"Ready or not, here I-" but her mother's scream was interrupted as there was a crash within the house. The face of Holly's mother drained of color as she dashed back into the house. Holly merely giggled. She didn't think the crash was important. It was probably just her father. Her mother probably thought she was back in the house again. She was good at fooling her.

Holly heard screams from her house. She saw bright lights and she heard things crash.

"HARRY!" her mother cried. Holly was confused. What was going on? This was all a game, right? It was all just a game, nothing really bad could happen. Cautiously, she stepped out of her hiding spot and crept back to the house window. She saw her father hand her baby brother to her mother.

"Run. Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off." He whispered.

"Holly…"

"I'll fend him off. You get Holly and run!" James Potter drew his wand. Lily ran, towards the door. Holly saw her father scream an incantation at the Death Eater before him and the Death Eater fell.

"Potter!" Someone cried behind him. James spun around to meet Lord Voldemort face to face. James stumbled.

"You!" James cried.

"Ah, yes, I'm so glad you recognized me, James. You had me worried for a minute." Voldemort smiled a crooked smile.

"You bastard!" James spat with disgust.

"I am afraid I have no time for small talk, James." Voldemort pulled out his wand, James copying him. "I am here to take care of business. It's nothing… Personal…" James began to yell a curse but Voldemort was quicker.

"Avada Kedavera!" Holly watched her father fall to the floor as the essence of life was sucked out of him by the evil villain's wand. Holly turned. She saw her mother stumble out the back door with her baby brother in her arms.  
"Holly!" she cried, "HOLLY!" But she suddenly screamed as she tripped. Holly dove for the bushes. She didn't want her mother to find her yet. She didn't want her to win that easily.

Holly watched through the bushes as her mother scrambled to her feet. Lily gasped as she saw the figure approaching her. She held Harry, protectively.

"I won't let you have him!" She cried, "You MURDERER!"

"You're so harsh, Lily. Don't force me to kill you too."  
"Not Harry! Not Harry! Please— I'll do anything—"

"Step aside, you foolish girl."  
"No, not Harry!"

"AVADA KEDAVERA!"

Holly was forced to snap her wide little brown eyes shut from the curse. When she opened them again, her mother was on the ground. She appeared to be asleep. Holly frowned. Why would her mother be asleep?

She noticed her brother, lying next to her mother's form. He was crying.

"And now for you, young Potter!" the evil figure cackled. He pointed his wand at the boy.

Holly lost her brother in the blinding green light that shot out of the figure's wand. Though she could see nothing but the bright green light, she could hear the heartbreaking cries of an innocent infant, the agonizing scream of a man on the verge of death, and the shouts of alarm issued from followers, knowing they were losing their leader.

Holly closed her eyes and buried her face in her arms. When the screaming stopped and the only noise she could hear was the wailing of her little brother was when she opened her eyes again.

The scene was silent and still. The only sound that rang through the silent night sky was the infant's wailing. The Death Eaters had scattered and Voldemort had disappeared. Holly didn't know how long she had hid in the bushes with her eyes closed. But now, she dashed out into the open air again and ran to her sleeping mother.

"Mummy!" she cried, "I won, Mummy! You didn't find me. Wake up, Mummy! What's for dinner, Mummy?" She took her mother's hand in her own and shook it hard.

"Mum-my!" she whined, "Wake…Up…" But her mother didn't stir. Holly frowned. She had never been unable to awaken her parents before.

"Mummy?" Holly leaned in close to her mother's ear and whispered softly into it. "Mummy, it's time to wake up. You have to make dinner now. Harry's crying, I think he's hungry." Her mother didn't respond. Holly kissed her mother softly on her pale cheek. Her mother's skin was cold and hard, not the usual soft and warm Holly was used to when she kissed her mother.

"Mummy, where's Daddy? I saw him fall asleep too." Holly couldn't understand it. Why wasn't her mother waking up? She decided to go find her father. She stumbled into the wreckage that had once been her house and pushed away stones and planks of wood. Holly found this setting odd. Where had her house gone? What was all this debris? Why was everyone so tired? Finally, she came across the lifeless body of James Potter.

"Daddy, Mummy won't wake up and I don't know what to do. How long will she sleep for? Daddy?" Her father seemed not to hear her. Holly knelt down next to him and turned him over so she could see his face. His eyes, unlike her mother's, were opened and staring straight at Holly. Holly grinned.

"Yay! You're awake. Help me wake Mummy up." James said nothing to his daughter. Holly's smile quickly faded as she looked into her father's eyes. Something had left them. The smile they usually held was absent, the happy bright flame that had once burned so brightly had been put out. His eyes were a cold and barren muddy brown, like dead earth. Tears began to appear in Holly's eyes.

"Daddy… What's wrong, Daddy? Daddy?" Holly tried to move the heap that had once been her father. Suddenly, she remembered her brother. She ran to him, by her mother's side again.

"Harry!" she whispered. The infant was still crying. Holly was only three years old. She didn't know what to do with a baby.

"Sh, Harry, stop crying! Mummy will be up to feed you soon." Holly didn't know what to do to silence her brother. She couldn't even pick him up. It was dark now. She was afraid of the dark. She held her brother close and began to cry.

After about ten minutes of crying, she heard someone behind her. She suddenly stopped and snapped her tiny little head of crimson hair around, hoping to see her mother or father waking up. Instead, she saw a black dog. The dog's eyes seemed to widen as he saw the redheaded young girl. Holly laughed out loud as the dog before her transformed into a tall man with black hair and dark eyes.

"Holly Potter." He sighed with a weak smiled, "What have they done to you and your family?"

"Mummy and Daddy!" Holly cried, "They're asleep! And they won't wake up!" the small smile on the man's face quickly disappeared.

"They're what?" he said, nearly out of breath. He swallowed the lump in his throat.

"But Harry's awake. The scary man couldn't make him fall asleep. He never sleeps." The smile returned to the man's face, but it was still only slight.

"Harry's awake?" Sirius heard the baby cry and picked him up in his arms. "Harry. I suppose Dumbledore will want you. You're a special boy, Harry. But what to do with your sister?" he looked down at the toddler, no older than three, and sighed. "She'll need a home. And she can't go with you. You'll only put her in more danger. It's better if the world believes there is only one Potter child left…" Sirius trailed off as he noticed someone else approach the house. He turned and saw an old friend. Though neither was happy to see one another.

"You." The man had light brown hair and wore a green cloak. "What do you think you're doing back here, Sirius?"

"Remus." Sirius acknowledged the man. "So it wasn't you after all."

"You betrayed Lily and James." Remus ignored Sirius's comment, though he did wonder what he was talking about.  
"I do not deny it."  
"Give me that child!"  
"Leave him for Dumbledore." Sirius nodded at the boy. "But take the girl."

"What?"  
"Give her a good home, Remus. She can't go with Harry or she'll be in danger. You know that. The Dark Lord's followers won't rest for anything until the Child of Legend is dead."

"But… You tried to kill them! Why?" Remus was surprised.

"Two words: Peter Pettigrew." Remus was about to reply when he felt a tug at his robes. He looked down and noticed the daughter of a close friend.

"But…" he started, but when he looked up, Sirius was gone. For a while, he contemplated a strange thought. Sirius never seemed the type to betray James. Had they… Had they switched? Is that why he said Peter's name? No, of course not, it couldn't be that. Peter wasn't likely to turn in James either. Of course, he was Peter and Peter was often unpredictable…

But Remus had more pressing matters at hand. He had a little girl tugging on his robes, wondering why her parents weren't waking up. He looked down at her, then looked up to survey the wreckage before him.

"Oh James…" He sighed, the tears beginning to form in his eyes. He whipped them away with the back of his hand. He couldn't cry now. That's when he saw it: the dead body of James Potter among the remains. He turned away almost instantly. Sirius had seemed untouched by the terrible scene Remus was now looking over. Maybe he _had_ betrayed them. After all, he didn't deny it.

Remus had to close his eyes tight to stop the horrible stinging tears from falling. So many things had gone wrong… But he now had the chance to do something right. He looked down at Holly again, who was looking at her mother. Her face was expressionless as she saw her mother. Remus expected her to cry or do something a child would do when their mother didn't wake up. But Holly just stood there, on her stubby legs, her mouth straight, her eyes inscrutably deep and her expression set. Finally, her mouth dropped slightly, but she closed it instantly. She took one of Remus' hands.

"They're never going to wake up, are they?" she asked, sounding much, much older than her three years. Remus looked down at her with the saddest smile he had ever worn.

"No, Holly. They're not. Come on. We have to go now."

"But what about Harry?"  
"Dumbledore will take care of that…" He wondered what the papers would say about this. How they'd make young Harry Potter out as a hero.

"Come on, Holly." He took the child, who was so much more than a child now, and led her down the street to a new and brighter life.  
Holly never cried again after that.


	2. Nightmares Aboard the Hogwarts Express

Chapter Two: Nightmares aboard the Hogwarts Express

Holly Phillips awoke with a start and found herself in a compartment on the train to Hogwarts. She sighed with relief. That was the fourth time she had had that particular dream. She was tired. Every time she fell asleep, she had that dream. She sighed and looked out the train window at all the passing scenery. It was raining pretty heavily. Soon, she couldn't see out the window at all and lanterns were lit throughout the train. She heard the door of the compartment open.  
"Oy!" came a familiar call, "That's not fair! We're the only ones with red hair in Gryffindor!" Rolling her eyes, Holly turned to face the two boys and gave them a weak smile.  
"Well tough!" she cried.

"She has the temper of a Weasley too. Hey, maybe she's really Holly Weasley, the long lost daughter of Arthur and Molly!" George laughed. Holly frowned.

"How many times do I have to tell you, I am not your long lost triplet! When are you guys going to leave me alone about my hair?"

"When you dye it!" George grinned.

"Ooh, we can help with that!" Fred rubbed his hands together mischievously. Holly gave them a skeptical look.

"There are other redheads in Gryffindor other than the Weasleys, you know."  
"The Phillips child being one of them, I assume?" Fred asked.

"Yes, actually!" Holly nodded, proudly, "And besides. It's not even that red any more. It's more of an auburn or brownish red type of thing."

"No, it may be a bit darker, but it's still bright red if you ask me!" George said.

"You're awfully pale, Holly. I think you need to get out in the sun more." Fred observed.

"Go find Lee and leave me alone."  
"We found him. He's stolen Neville's frog and won't give it back. We were going to help him, but then we wondered where you were," said Fred, "Feel special, we missed you."

"Oh I feel special alright! That's cruel. Tell Lee to give Neville back his toad."

"But-" Fred began.

"Give it back!" Holly cried.  
"What side of the bed did you wake up on?" Fred asked. Holly sighed.

"I'm sorry, you two. I haven't gotten much sleep lately. All the time, it's the same dream." Fred and George looked interested.

"Really?" George exaggerated his interest.

"Trelawney will be impressed!" Fred added.

"It's not a future dream… it's more of a past dream… Or something." Holly didn't know what it was. "On second thought, it could just be a dream. A stupid dream. Except…"

"Except what?" George pushed.

"Harry… Harry Potter."

"What about him?" Fred asked.

"He's in it. He's in my dream. And so are his parents."

"Are we in your dream?" Fred asked. Holly shook her head. "Well thanks, Holly! You make us feel so wanted, don't you? Not bothering to dream about us…"

"Shut up, Fred." George elbowed his twin in the ribs. He seemed genuinely interested. This surprised Fred.

"What? Is that interest I see in your eyes? Or is it just lust?" Fred grinned. Both George and Holly gave out frustrated sighs. At the exact same time, they both shouted:

"NO!"

"What's your dream about, Holly?" George asked.

"I'm a little girl in it… and there's this baby and this woman with red hair, like mine. And her husband with black hair. And something happens. And then there's this green light… And then there's this black dog and he turns into a man. And then there's this other man, he takes me by the hand and leads me down the street."

"You're right, it sounds like just a dream." Fred yawned, bored with the topic. "So, how about donating some money towards our joke shop then?"

"What does that dream have to do with Harry Potter?" George asked, ignoring his twin.

"Well, I'm not quite sure. I have the strangest feeling that he's the baby."

"Hello? More important things to discuss here!" Fred waved his hand between his brother and his friend.

"And who were the other four people?"  
"I don't know, but they looked strangely familiar."

"Oy! You two! I'm still in the room here!" Holly and George finally turned, as if just noticing Fred was there. "Thank you!"

"Sorry, Fred." George gave a weak smile.

"Don't worry about it, I know that people can be rude and insensitive at times." Fred smiled, happy he was receiving the attention he deserved. George and Holly exchanged looks and could barely keep from laughing.

The train slowed to a stop and Holly was startled as she heard luggage falling out of their racks.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Apparently the train has stopped." Fred yawned.

"I know that, you twit, but why?" Holly frowned. Fred and George both shrugged simultaneously. "We aren't there yet, are we?"

"Can't be, the train ride hasn't been long enough," said George. Just as George finished his sentence, all the lanterns went out without warning.

"Great!" came Fred's sarcastic voice, "Now we can't see anything either!" The three heard their compartment door open.

"Who's in here?"

"Lee? Is that you, you crazy git?" came Fred's gleeful voice.

"Yes, and don't call me a crazy git. I'm guessing George is here too, then?"  
"No, I'm on the moon, Lee."

"Hello, George."

"Someone close the door."  
"Oh, and Holly's here too, I see."  
"You can see, Lee?"

"Shut up, George," Holly snapped. George made an angry cat noise but Holly ignored him. Holly stood up and tried to make her way over to the door, stumbling once or twice over one of the boys. She brought out her wand.  
"Lumos!"

"Like that'll help," said Fred.

"Quiet!" Holly hushed them. Her thin beam of light was focussed on the door.

"Lumos!" cried Lee. Fred and George decided to do the same. Four beams of light were on the door as it suddenly slid open.

"What _is _that?!" Lee cried in horror. The gruesome thing was covered in black hooded robes and looked like the very image of Death Himself. Holly screamed and her dream began to come back to her. But then she took control of herself again. She closed her eyes. She knew what was going on. She concentrated on what her friend had told her to do.

"Expecto patronum!" she cried. A wisp of silver emerged from her wand and began to take the shape of a bird, but then disappeared. The creature, though, was frightened and drew away slightly. The thing took in a deep, rattling breath and waited for a minute. Finally, after what seemed like ages, it left.

Holly's knees began to shake and finally they gave way. She stared after the dementor, her mouth slightly open. Without warning, her memories took over her and she was the little three-year-old girl she was in her dreams. She began to cry.

Lee, Fred and George had no idea what to do. Before them sat a sobbing Holly Phillips. But Holly Phillips never cried. No matter how bad things got, she never cried. There was the time when Fred and George had tried to play a trick on her, but it had gone wrong and they had ended up breaking her arm. Though the pain had been intense- especially when George had pulled it- she merely gritted her teeth and bared it. But she hadn't cried. And in Holly's first year, her mother had sent word that her father had died. She didn't say a word for days, not even to answer questions in class, but she always kept a straight face and her dorm mates said she never cried herself to sleep either. No one in the world had ever seen Holly Lillian Phillips cry.

And yet, here she was, on the floor of a train compartment, face buried in her hands, weeping.

"They won't wake up. They'll never wake up. Oh, Harry!" Holly sobbed.

"I… I'll go and… Get someone…" Lee suggested, not quite sure of what else to do. He exited the compartment and started heading down the halls, unsure of who he was looking for. He noticed a man who seemed to be making his way back from seeing the driver.

"Excuse me," said Lee, "Excuse me, sir? Who are you? I mean, we don't see many teachers on the Hogwarts Express. Do you work with-"  
"I am the new Defense teacher, Professor Lupin." The man was brief and too the point.

"Right." Lee nodded. "Well then, Professor, there's a girl in our compartment and she was startled by… those things that came on the train?"

"Dementors. Go on." Lupin nodded.

"Ah, so that's what dementors are like!" Lee nodded and then continued. "Anyway, she's crying like crazy. We aren't ones for comforting and she never usually needs it and-"

"It's easy to be startled by a dementor. They're frightening things. Now if you'd excuse me, I have to see some other students."  
"Yes, Professor, but you don't understand!" Lee protested, not allowing the professor to pass. "This is Holly! And Holly Phillips never cries!" Lupin's expression seemed to be full of surprise but instantly his face became blank and Lee wondered if he had imagined it.

"Holly Phillips?" Lupin said, "Well let's take a look." Lee led Lupin to the compartment that held his three friends. Lupin swiftly walked over to the girl crying on the ground. Lupin was about to put a hand on her shoulder when he heard what she was whispering.

"They're never going to wake up…" Remus Lupin drew his hand away from the fifteen-year-old instantly as if he'd just noticed she had a horrible contagious disease. Those words sounded so familiar when whispered on her lips.

"Something wrong, Professor?" Lee asked. Fred laughed.

"Professor? He's a professor?" Lupin didn't answer. He cautiously placed his hand on Holly's shoulder. Her head snapped up instantly and her furious brown-eyed gaze seemed to burn a hole through his heart. Lupin shivered, but Holly's eyes softened. She stopped muttering and she stopped crying, coming back to reality. She wiped away her tears on her shirt. 

"S-Sorry," she stuttered. She took a deep breath. "I know you."  
"It's me, Holly, Remus Lupin. I will be your Defense Against Dark Arts teacher this year."  
"Remus?" Holly's eyes widened with recognition. Lupin held his breath. "I didn't recognize you. Could I talk to you? In private?"  
"Whatever you have to say, you can say it here."

"It's about a black dog." Holly knew this would get his attention. Lupin stood up instantly at the mention of it.

"Yes. Very well, in the hall then!" He led the girl outside, then turned to face her.

"You were in my dream."

"What dream?" Remus acted casual.  
"You and Sirius Black."

"What about Sirius Black? Do you know anything?"

"Yes, actually, I've learned a lot about him." Holly's face was impassive.

"Anything you know is valuable information and must be given to the-"

"For some reason, I don't think you want this information out. Otherwise, you would have told them ages ago."  
"Told them what?" Remus was playing stupid.

"I've known you for ages, Remus. I know that you were the one who convinced my parents to take care of me. I know a secret about you that I'm sure a lot of the parents at Hogwarts don't. Otherwise, they wouldn't have let Dumbledore hire you. I know about your connection with the full moon, Remus."

"Yes, Holly." Remus nodded, "We're very close."

"So why didn't you tell me Sirius Black was an Animagus?" Holly asked.

"What?" Remus sounded taken aback. Holly merely rolled her eyes.

"As I said, I've known you ever since I can remember. I know when you're lying. But you never told me that you, Sirius Black, and James Potter were once close friends!"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Holly. I don't know where you got these ideas."

"I've been having these strange dreams recently, Remus. Dreams about the Potters and the night they were killed. I don't remember much, but I remember Sirius Black and I remember you letting him go.

"Holly," said Lupin, "I have no idea what this dream is about. But perhaps you should see Dumbledore, incase it means something important. Reoccurring dreams are often something to pay attention to."

"Why should I go to Dumbledore? Wouldn't Trelawney be more appropriate?"

"She will just think that it's a sign that you're going to die or something. Seriously, see Dumbledore. If you'd excuse me, I have other matters to attend to. Young Harry Potter was feeling faint after the encounter with the dementors. I trust you used the Patronus Charm as I told you?"  
"I've never faced a real dementor, though, Remus. This was different. I almost conjured my phoenix, but it disappeared in a wave of smoky silver. I couldn't conjure a real one."  
"The Patronus Charm is hard to master. You've only just recently got it and I've been trying to teach you to do it for years."  
"Now I understand why." Lupin was happy to see that he had been successful in changing the subject. He turned away and couldn't help but grin. It was hard to distract Holly and he supposed that taking advantage of her after a traumatizing experience wasn't right, but… Well, he was just happy.

"Oh, and Remus?"  
"Yes, Holly?" Remus asked without turning around.  
"How come you didn't put me with the Dursleys, like Harry?"

"It would have put you in danger. Harry's- I mean… Oh no…" Lupin's smile quickly faded as he swore under his breath. He should have known that Holly had a trick up her sleeve. He turned to see that her little red head was tilted and she was smiling, slightly, at her victory. Lupin let out a heavy sigh.  
"We're going to see Dumbledore."  
"You better believe it."


	3. The Truth Comes Out

A/N: Sorry I haven't updated for the last couple days. I haven't been near a computer and I probably won't get to post the next few chapters for a while. So just hold tight, until we get a steady Internet connection (I just recently moved to Cairo, Egypt and we haven't gotten our stuff yet). 

Chapter 3: The Truth Comes Out

"Yes, Professor Lupin, feel free to enter." Lupin and Holly entered the headmaster's office to find him sitting on his desk, his head resting on his hands, smiling at them with a twinkle in his eye. They had decided to wait until after the feast.

"Professor Dumbledore, Ms. Phillips here has been having some dreams…" Lupin started.

"Dreams? Explain."

"I dream, Professor," Holly started before Lupin could, "About the night James and Lily Potter were killed. But… well, it's different, sir."

"What do you mean?" Dumbledore seemed very interested.

"Professor Dumbledore, she has dreams that she was there, as a young child. She dreams she was there. She dreams I was there and Sirius Black." Lupin answered Holly's question for her.

"Well, she was, wasn't she?" Both Holly and Lupin were taken aback by this answer.

"What?" they both cried, incredulously. Holly knew something was up with her dream, but she didn't even consider…

"So were you, if I remember correctly." Dumbledore smiled at Lupin, who's mouth was now hanging open.

"Just like that?" Lupin cried, "You tell her so bluntly just like that?"

"It's high time she knew!" Dumbledore protested.

"What if other people know?" Lupin hissed, afraid someone could be listening, "There is only supposed to be one Potter left!"

  
"And there is. Harry. Holly is a Phillips, Professor Lupin," Dumbledore grinned mysteriously, then added, "Despite what she may tell people. Of course, she's smart enough not to tell anyone, aren't you Holly?" Holly nodded vigorously. She opened her mouth to speak but couldn't get the sound to come out. She closed it, swallowed the lump in her throat and tried again.

"But-but-but… Professor!" she cried, "You mean I was actually… I saw them… He was going to…" Holly felt dizzy and Dumbledore noticed.

"Sit down," he told her and Lupin helped her into a seat, taking one himself.

"Take deep breaths, Holly and try and string your words together," Lupin advised.

"Remus… I… I was there! He was going to kill me!"

"Apparently, though, Voldemort didn't see you." Dumbledore was still smiling though Holly didn't find any of this amusing in the least.

"I was hiding in the bushes."  
"There you have it. The Ministry Records state that Holly Lillian Potter is deceased and Voldemort thought he only had one child to kill that night."

"I… I'm Holly Potter?"  
"No, Holly," said Dumbledore, "You are Holly Phillips. Holly Potter died years ago with her parents."

"Oh God…" Holly was on the verge of fainting. She knew that the woman she called 'Mum' wasn't her biological mother because she remembered when Remus Lupin had brought Holly to Elisa and Jason Phillips when she was four years old. Remus knew that a werewolf was no father for a young girl, but he had tried to raise her for a year anyway. When he failed, he went to some close friends. They were only too happy to take her in. Remus visited her periodically. There was even a time when Holly had suspected that Remus was her real father. But never in her wildest dreams- well, that wasn't entirely true, but never in her life did she even think of the possibility of being the forgotten child of James and Lily Potter. That's when she realized.

"That's all I am…"

"What's all you are?" Lupin asked.

"Forgotten."

"What?" said Lupin.

"I am the forgotten child of James and Lily Potter."

"You are not forgotten, Holly," said Dumbledore, "Holly Potter died years ago."  
"And she is forgotten. Does Harry even know he once had a sister?" Dumbledore looked anxiously at Lupin.  
"Well, no." Lupin was looking uneasy.  
"Then I am forgotten."  
"The identity, perhaps, but the person she used to be has grown into a lovely woman." Lupin was trying to sound reassuring. Holly gave a weak smile.

"Holly Potter is dead," she agreed, "But her memories aren't."

"Holly." Dumbledore rose from his seat, his face was very serious.

"Yes, Headmaster?"

"You must not tell Harry of any of this."  
"He's my brother, God damn it!"

"Holly!" Lupin cried, quite surprised.

"Well he is! His parents are mine too and I think he deserves to know what happened to his older sister!" Holly was defiant. She'd lost her mother and father just as he had. In fact, she had lost two fathers. She deserved the sympathy just as much as Harry did.  
"Holly, there are people out there who would sell their soul to expose you!" Lupin was astounded.

"People like who?"  
"I know a reporter for the Daily Prophet who thrives on things like this," said Dumbledore, "And many more like her." Lupin took one look at Dumbledore and knew exactly who he was talking about.

"Reporters? How would any reporters find out? It's not like Harry would say anything. I just thought he deserved to know!"  
"Rita Skeeter has her ways of getting her hands on information that people wouldn't normally give willingly," said Dumbledore.

"Does anyone else… Does my Mum know that I'm really related to the Potters?" Holly asked. Dumbledore and Lupin both shook their heads.

"Not even the Ministry knows. There are only four people alive who know who you really are," Dumbledore told her.

"Four?" Holly asked.

"Three are standing in this room." Dumbledore nodded. Holly frowned.

"That means… There's you, Professor, and you, Remus, and me… Who is the fourth?" But even as she asked the question, she knew the answer. Lupin and Dumbledore exchanged looks again.

"Sirius Black." Lupin was the one who replied.

"Wouldn't he turn me in to You-Know-Who?" asked Holly.

"That's what puzzled me as well, Holly," said Lupin. "He hasn't turned you in yet. He told me to take you. He didn't want you to be found by any Death Eaters. He knew that someone would have sent for Harry. I think he was feeling guilty, that's all."

"Why couldn't I go with Harry?"

"Your destinies are on different paths," said Dumbledore, "However, they were bound to cross again at some point."

"You would have been in danger," Lupin added, "Death Eaters would have been furious about what happened. Harry was their leader's downfall. If they knew he had a sister, they'd hunt her down too."  
"So you're just leaving it all up to him? He's, what, thirteen right now? You're placing all of this on the shoulders of a thirteen-year-old boy?! Let me share his burden!"

"That's a lot you'd be taking on there, Holly," Lupin warned.

"I'd rather share it than carry it alone."

"It's too late, Holly. You're safer now than you would have been," said Dumbledore, calmly.

"But Harry's not."  
"We've done the best for both of you." Lupin was certain of this. Holly shouldered her bag.

"Well, I should be getting back to my common room. Good night, Professor Dumbledore, Remus." Holly turned to leave.

"Holly?" Lupin called. Holly turned.

"Yes?"

"Around students, I'm afraid you'll have to call me Professor Lupin." Holly nodded.

"It's OK, I understand." With a smile reminding him of Lily, she disappeared. Lupin sighed and turned to Dumbledore.

"You wouldn't happen to have any strong alcohol in your office, would you?" Dumbledore grinned at the request. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When Holly returned to Gryffindor tower, everyone seemed to had gone to sleep. Sighing, she headed up her own staircase when she jumped as a voice behind her cried her name. She spun around, wand at the ready, as Lupin had once taught her.

"Whoa, relax, Holly!" It was only George. Soon, Fred appeared too from behind him.

"Sorry."  
"Where've you been? We lost you after the feast when Lupin wanted to talk to you," said George.

"I went to see Professor Dumbledore," Holly answered, truthfully. Fred and George looked curious.

"Really?" said Fred, "About what?"

"None of your business!" said Holly, defensively.

"It was only a question…" Fred muttered.

"OK then…" said George, suspiciously, "We should be going to bed now."  
"Yeah, me too. I'll see you in the morning, OK guys?" Holly gave them a weak smile.

"Yeah, OK." Fred and George went up to their dormitory, glancing suspiciously at Holly. They knew something was up.

Holly entered her room and was happy to see her four poster bed, ready to be slept in. Hogwarts was a very comforting place to be for her, though she didn't know why. She didn't realize how tired she was as she quickly and gratefully fell unconscious.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Holly awoke the next morning, the dream still fresh in her mind. She shook her head and climbed out of bed. She hadn't seen Harry yet, though she desperately wanted to speak with him. She had a feeling that these dreams wouldn't stop until she did.

Unfortunately, she didn't get to see Harry until a few days later as he was coming back from his Care of Magical Creatures lesson.

"Stupid Malfoy…" said the redheaded boy Harry was walking with. Holly recognized him as Ron Weasley, Fred and George's younger brother. He had blue eyes and was tall and lanky, but Holly knew he was sweet.

"You know he's going to make a big deal out of this, don't you?" Harry said to his two friends. The girl nodded her head of bushy brown hair sadly. Holly knew her as Hermione Granger, arguably the smartest student in her year. Holly was watching them and Ron was the first to notice.

"Hello, Holly," he said. He knew her because she was a close friend of his brothers' and she had even come to the Burrow once or twice. Harry and Hermione looked to see who Ron was talking to. Holly gave a weak smile.

"Hello, Ron," she greeted, politely. Her eyes then moved to Harry. "Harry, could I talk to you alone for a minute?" Harry glanced briefly at Ron and Hermione before consenting. He told them to continue toward the Great Hall, that he'd catch up with them.

"Yeah?" he asked. He had no idea why she might want to speak with him. He'd only seen her around occasionally, usually with the Weasley twins, trying to keep them out of too much trouble.

Holly bit her lip. She was noticeably nervous.

"Well, I know this is hard for you, I mean, with Sirius Black on the loose and everything, but there's something I have to tell you."

"Go ahead."  
"I… Well, Harry, I'm…"

"You're… what?" Harry asked, frowning. Holly took a deep breath, then sighed.

"I'm… Really starting to like you."  
"O…K…" Harry's face was doubtful. "Is… That all?" Holly paused.

"Yes, that's all."  
"I'll be going then."

"OK." Holly watched Harry's retreating back, then called after him.

"Oh, and Harry?" Harry turned. "If you ever need anything… Anything at all, just tell me, OK? I want to be your friend."

"OK." Harry shrugged. There was something about her… He knew she had to be hiding something.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

In the weeks that followed, Holly was very friendly towards Harry. When Hermione was too busy doing other things, or annoyed at Harry for one reason or another, Holly helped him on his homework and his spells. Her specialty was Defense techniques, though her grades still weren't always the best. He often was unsure about what to study for or how when Snape told them they had the quiz the next day and Holly was only too happy to oblige.

Harry found that she even bought him things from Hogsmeade when they had gone without him. Treats from Honeydukes, a butterbeer or two, and even books and small gifts. Though Holly didn't know that this wasn't needed after the first Hogsmeade visit because Fred and George had given Harry their prized map and he was to go on his own.

Holly spoke with Harry very comfortably and often. They found out a lot about each other. They were becoming great friends. This seemed to make Holly extremely happy.

"She likes you. Ask her out," said Ron one day in the common room.

"What?" cried Harry, surprised.

"Well, I mean, she's been spending so much time with you."

"She just wants to be his friend, Ron. I mean, I spend time with you and you don't see me begging you to propose." Hermione laughed.

"Well, I just haven't found the right ring yet, Hermione." Ron grinned.

"She doesn't like me like that, Ron. Things are different with her. Not like that." Harry shook his head.

"Right, whatever you say." Ron shrugged.

Holly had always gone to every single Quidditch match. She loved it. But mostly, she had come for the Weasley twins and to support them. But often, she found herself in the stands cheering Harry on instead.

"Oy!" Fred cried, walking back from practice one night. "We lost our biggest fan!"

"I still cheer for you guys!" Holly protested.

"Yeah, but more so for Harry," said George, "If I didn't know better, I'd say you two were dating." For a split second, a look of absolute disgust crossed Holly's face, but instantly disappeared as she waved her hand as if to dismiss what George had said.

"Oh, don't be ridiculous! Of course we aren't dating!"

"Are you sure?" Fred asked with a mischievous smile.

"Of course I'm sure. He's two years younger than me for one. And besides, he isn't even my type."  
"Oh and what is your type?" asked George, sharing the same smile his twin had. Fred nearly burst out laughing.

"I don't know…" Holly frowned as if she hadn't really thought about this before. Then she noticed someone walking away from the Quidditch field and grinned. "Well, Oliver Wood isn't that bad…" Fred and George followed her line of sight. Oliver seemed to feel their gaze as he looked back at them and waved. Fred and George looked at Holly, who smiled sweetly and waved back. They almost fell to the ground in fits of laughter.

"What's so funny?" Holly demanded as she saw them cracking up.

"Oliver Wood and Holly Phillips?" Fred said between chortles, "Like that'll happen!"

"Why does it sound so unlikely to you?" Holly cried, in mock surprise. She wasn't really offended by them. In her long friendship with them, she knew to take very little they said seriously.

"Well, you refused to date a guy who's two years younger than you. Why should Oliver date you?" George asked, realistically, still laughing.

"But that's different. Harry's way too young to have a fifth year girlfriend, and guys often go out with girls younger than they are."

"Sorry, Holly," Fred grinned, "But you have a better chance with Viktor Krum!" Holly rolled her eyes.

"The Bulgarian seeker? He's not even that good looking."

"Oh, so looks are all that matters to you in a guy?" George asked, slightly sarcastic.

"Nooooo!" Holly corrected, "He needs to like Quidditch, be understanding and think about others before himself. I hate narcissists. Though intelligence doesn't matter that much, he needs to know a toad from a toadstool. And definitely a sense of humor!"

"Well then there you go then!" cried Fred, throwing his hands in the air. "Just date one of us!" At this, Holly had to laugh.

"You think you're understanding?"  
"Of course we are! Um… Understand what?" said George.

"You think you're self-sacrificing? You don't think you're a narcissist?"

"Me? Self-centered?" Fred sounded aghast, "Definitely not! How could I be egotistic? It doesn't fit with my perfect character! Face it, Holly, I'm flawless! You know you want me!" Fred gave her a wink and Holly tried hard not to laugh.


	4. A Fellony of a Friend

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A/N: Please, people, review. I can't post this daily, I apologize, but every review I receive is more motivation to post more frequently. Please be patient, I'm posting faster than some people.

Chapter 4: A Felony of a Friend

Holly had gone home for the holidays so she didn't see Harry until she returned. And when she did, he was not in the best of moods.

"Where's Hermione?" she asked him, approaching after Oliver Wood had spoken with him.

"I don't know," he answered.

"Don't really care, either," Ron added. Holly frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing," Harry muttered.

"What did Oliver talk to you about?" Holly asked.

"Nothing, just asked if I was ready to fly again after that last Quidditch match, you know."  
"Oh, right!" Holly nodded, understanding, remembering the horrible defeat well.

"Hey, Holly…" Ron frowned, an idea forming in his mind, "What did you give Harry for Christmas?" Holly smiled a bit bashfully.

"I'm ashamed. I didn't get it in time to send it. But… Well, here, Harry. It's not much, but… You know, you're hard to shop for?" Holly handed Harry a small box and Harry found a picture in a frame. He stared at it for a few minutes.

"Holly…" he muttered, "How did you… How did you get this?" Holly twisted uncomfortably.

"It was taken by a friend of your father's…" Ron leaned over to see the picture and his mouth dropped.

"You don't have that one, do you Harry?" he asked and Harry slowly shook his head. In the picture was a man with messy black hair and brown eyes, holding his broom proudly in one hand and a cup in the other. He was waving. Beside him looked like a happy young girl with bright red hair trying to pry the cup away from his hands, but the young boy wouldn't let go so she finally just gave up and laughed.

"Right after your dad won the Quidditch cup in his sixth year. That's your mum there. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get James to part with his cup."

"How… How do you know all this?" Harry asked, eyes still glued to the picture. Again, Holly squirmed. There was something she wasn't telling him.

"I know the person who took that picture."  
"Who took it?"

"That doesn't matter. Do you like it?" Harry nodded. Finally, he tore his eyes away from the picture.

"So you weren't the one who sent him that broom, then?" Ron said. Holly looked at him, surprised, then looked at Harry.

"You got a new broom? What kind?"

"A Firebolt…" Harry muttered. Holly did a double take.

"Wha-WHAT?" she cried, incredulously.

"No need to get excited. Hermione got it confiscated." Holly's excitement fell at Harry's words.

"But… But why?" she asked, not understanding why a broom would be confiscated. "It's not like you were flying in the castle! Wait, were you?"

"No, no, no!" Harry shook his head, "Hermione thought Sirius Black might have sent it and jinxed it."

"Oh…" Holly looked at her feet then looked back up at Harry again. "Well, I'm sure you'll get it back soon."  
"But what if it's in no condition to fly?" Harry cried.

"McGonagall wouldn't let that happen." Holly gave him a weak smile.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"You've been taking it, though?" Holly asked, "The potion Snape's been giving you?"  
"Of course I have, Holly!" Lupin seemed to roll his eyes as he sorted out the books on his desk. "I'm not stupid! Oh where IS it?"

"Where's what?"

"That crazy boggart… Oh, there it is!" Lupin lifted a large packing case onto his desk. Holly raised an eyebrow, skeptically.

"And what, might I ask, is that for?"

"Training," whispered Lupin, getting his things together. "For your brother."

"Against a boggart? I thought you handled those in class?"

"We did!" Lupin nodded. "But this is for training against a dementor."  
"A what?" Holly's mouth dropped and Lupin shot her a look.  
"I know you were there at that Quidditch match. You wouldn't miss one."

"But you missed it."  
"That's not the point. It was a full moon that night."

"What is your point?" Holly asked.

"Well, he needs protection against those dementors incase they come onto the field again. The Patronus Charm is the only way that'll happen."  
"But Re- I mean, Professor Lupin!" cried Holly. "It takes ages to master that spell! _I_ can't even go up against a real dementor and you've been trying to teach me since I was eleven! What makes you think a third year will have any more success within a few days?" But Lupin gave Holly a smile and a wink.  
"Harry's determined," he told her. "And he's different. He wants to learn it. He won't slack off like you did."  
"I didn't slack off!" Holly protested. Lupin rolled his eyes again.

"Right. I think I remember one time when I called you out for training and you wouldn't come. Busy doing homework if I remember correctly?"

"But I was!" Holly protested, "A Charms essay for my second year!"

"Actually, you said it was a History of Magic essay. And it wasn't, it turned out to be listening to the Weird Sisters! But speaking of History of Magic, I should be getting to that classroom. It's nearly eight o'clock, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Holly answered.

"If I need you to demonstrate, I'll call you, OK?" Lupin smiled at her and Holly nodded.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"I see you have your Firebolt back, Harry," Holly said with a grin. She had approached Harry and Hermione.

"Yeah, and I'm glad to have it back too," Harry answered. "Ron just went upstairs to put it away. Have a look at this Arithmancy essay!" Harry said, holding up Hermione's essay, "It looks terrible, doesn't it?"

"Oh no, it's wonderful!" said Hermione earnestly. "It's my favorite subject! It's—"

Unfortunately, Hermione never got to finish her sentence. A strangled yell echoed down the boys' staircase and the whole common room fell silent. Ron jumped down the stairs, dragging a bed sheet behind him.

Holly silently edged away. She didn't want to listen to what was going to happen next. She climbed up her own staircase, but she could still hear the yells. Ron claimed that Hermione's cat, Crookshanks, had eaten his pet rat, Scabbers. Not wanting to listen to the arguments, afraid it would bring on one of her own, rare outbursts, she lost herself in her book.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
"He's taking it really hard, isn't he?" Holly asked Fred and George, who nodded glumly.

"You should have heard the screams," said George.

"Didn't want to so I went upstairs," Holly told them.

"Oh, he'll get over it… Sometime…" said Fred.

"Poor Ron…" Holly muttered, shaking her head. Fred laughed.

"Don't feel too sorry for him, Hol," he said. "Scabbers was as boring as a rock."

"He bit Goyle once, don't forget that!" Fred and George spun around at Lee Jordan's comment.

"Of course!" George cried, throwing his hands into the air, "His finest hour!"

"Oh please!" Holly rolled her eyes, realizing they were reliving the conversation between them and their brother. She heaved a sigh. "How was practice?"

"Ron and Harry are still back there. I think he's flying on Harry's new Firebolt," said George.  
"I've been meaning to get a good look at that… hold on…" Holly stopped as she saw a black dog sneaking about by the forest. Lee, Fred and George frowned.  
"What is it, Holly?" asked Lee.

"That dog…" Holly muttered. The dog stopped, feeling her gaze and turned two dark eyes to her. Holly grinned.

"You three," she called back to her friends. "Go back to the castle. I'll be with you in a moment."  
"What is it with you and that dog, Holly?" said Lee.  
"Go! I'll be right there!" Holly ordered and the three boys walked off without her.

Holly approached the dog near the quidditch pitch. It shrank away from her. Her grin widened. She was a few meters away from it, when she started to speak.

"So," she said, "this is the face of a murderer." The dog flinched. "Funny. I thought you'd be more menacing or something. Hello, Sirius Black." The dog barked and growled at her, but Holly laughed. "No need for any of that now, Mr. Black, I'm not about to turn you in. Not yet anyway. I remember you." The dog seemed confused and looked the girl up and down, studying her. "My name, Mr. Black, as you might recall, is Holly Lillian Phillips. Of course, you know me as Holly Lillian Potter."

Before her very eyes, the dog changed into a ragged, thin man who immediately sank into the forest to avoid being seen by anyone else. He squinted at the girl as if trying to read something illegible written across her face.

"Come here, child," he said in a gruff voice. "Let's have a look at you. My bark's worse than my bite, despite what people may think." Holly approached the man. He held her chin in his hands. Suddenly, he broke into a smile.

"It is you. Why aren't you afraid of me? Why don't you want to kill me?" Sirius smiled and hope glistened in his eye.  
"I had a dream, Black. And you could have killed me. Save Voldemort the trouble. I figured, if you wanted me dead, you would have done it yourself all those years ago when Harry was a baby. I don't think you meant to give in. You were scared, weren't you? Probably tortured. The fact is, though, you not only betrayed my parents, you killed all those people in that street. You may be a murderer, Mr. Black, but a life for a life, I say. I owe you one. It goes against all my principals, personally, I want to see you dead. But I owe you one and I can't forget that." The only spark of hope that Black had vanished instantly at her words. He looked at his feet. Rather than deny her words, or get into a debate, he changed the subject.

"How did you know I was the dog?"

"My dream. When I was a child, you first came to me as a dog. A big black dog. I've seen you around the grounds. Never had the chance to turn you in. You're after my brother, aren't you?" Holly cocked her head to one side as Sirius raised an eyebrow, skeptically.

"You're awfully calm for a girl who's just met someone who's killed many innocents, including her parents and is now after her brother."  
"That's a yes, then?" Holly asked. Sirius smiled. Holly continued. "I'll make a deal with you. I won't turn you in. You better listen because all I have to go on is your word."  
"And all I have to go on is yours," said Sirius, "Continue."

"I won't turn you in. You must promise me not to lay a hand on my brother or anyone else, do you hear? This is very important. God, I'm aiding a murderer! I could be sent to Azkaban myself for this!"

"That's all?" asked Sirius.

"Yes."  
"Give me one allowance," Sirius said. Holly frowned.  
"OK…" What was he up to?

"Allow me to kill Peter Pettigrew." Holly laughed.

"You already did!"  
"He's dead to the public, yes, but there's more to it then that." Holly stopped laughing.

"No one," she said. "I will not let you kill any living thing, not even a plant! Which means your breaking our deal because you're stepping on some fungus." Sirius grinned.

"Fungus isn't a plant. It has it's own kingdom." Holly rolled her eyes. 

"What are you, a muggle biology professor? Do we have a deal?"

"You don't turn me in, I don't harm a living, feeling thing."

"Yes."  
"We have a deal!" Sirius shook her hand and grinned. As Holly turned away to walk back to the castle, he called after her.

"Holly?"

"Yeah?" she turned.

"Asking me to refrain from killing anyone is… well, it's, um, hard on me. I'll be needing… something else."  
"Yes?"

"Could you bring me some… Some table scraps? Right here, by Hagrid's. I'll be a dog. Every other night will do.

"Every other night?" Holly whined and frowned. She didn't want to come out here every other night.

"Yes, every other night," Sirius nodded.

"Fine!" she cried and continued back to the castle. Sirius smiled. He'd made a friend.


	5. Rules Of The Game

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A/N: OK, I finally have a steady phone line for my Internet so I'm probably going to continue posting this everyday. I have a couple things to say (I'm the author, put up with it.)

The end of Holly's fifth year isn't the end of the story, if you know what I mean. The summary that has been given for this fic really describes this part of the story and the next. The next installment to this tale will be titled "The Remembered" and will be posted when I finish posting this.

Secondly, I would like to thank one of my reviewers (wow, only one? I have so many! Five! How astounding! Note the heavy sarcasm.) The reviewer I'd like to thank is MunchingRobin. I had written this entire story before I posted it, but in your review you included an event that I'd forgotten to mention: The Quidditch match. So you can all thank MunchingRobin for making this an even longer story that you have to read. Also, you wanted to know what Holly thought of Trelawny predicting death for Harry. She doesn't even find out about that until later. OK, I'm done, enjoy!

Chapter Five: Rules of the Game

"Oh my God!" Holly turned at Hermione's shriek.

"Quiet, Hermione, I'm trying to watch the Quidditch—"

"Harry!" the girl interrupted. "Holly, get your head out of the clouds and look out on the field instead of the sky!"

"Huh?" Holly, along with Ron, followed Hermione's pointed finger and saw the hooded figures that were coming out onto the field.

"Oh no…" Holly muttered, begging Remus's lessons would pay off. She instantly whipped her head up to look at Harry, who seemed to have noticed the dementors as well as he pulled out his wand and aimed it behind him without looking.

A glorious silver stag erupted from the end of the seeker's wand and galloped towards the offenders and pushed them over.

"Wait a minute…" Ron stole the omnioculars out of Hermione's hands and tried to see the 'dementors' more clearly. "Dementors don't fall like that… That's Malfoy!"

"Malfoy!" Hermione spat out the name quickly, rage boiling in her like hot water. Holly couldn't help smiling slightly as the third year Slytherins struggled to free themselves from the black robes.

"Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle! Of course! Only they could be devious enough to pull that off." Ron was shaking his head, but smiling. Hermione was the only one who still looked utterly appalled.

"Wait until I give him a piece of my mind! Hey, wait a minute… When did the game end?" Hermione looked around confused.

"Didn't you see that catch?" Holly cried. "It was spectacular! Right after he cast his Patronus Charm."

"Oh well," Hermione shrugged. "I need to go down there and—"

"Kick Malfoy's ass?" Ron asked with a grin. Hermione thought about it for a moment, and replied.

"Well, bluntly and vulgarly put, but yes."

"Excellent!" Ron grinned.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Holly jogged up to the Gryffindor Quidditch team making their way up to the castle. Fred and George heard someone coming and turned around. Their faces lit up.

"Holly!" they cried, but she ran right past them and both of them frowned.

"That was smashing, Harry!" she cried, throwing her arm around her brother's shoulder. "Absolutely SMASHING!"

"Oy!" growled Fred, "We didn't do half bad ourselves, you know, Hol!"

"I know, you guys were great too… But Harry, what a catch! You sure showed Malfoy, he'll know not to mess with you again!"

"Oh, I wouldn't be too sure about that. Malfoy doesn't give up that easily…" Harry muttered, glancing behind him and scanning the crowd. The grin on his face reached his ears. Fred and George, however, who had been ecstatic a few minutes before, were frowning at Holly. She didn't seem to notice.

"That has got to be the greatest game I've seen in a long while, Harry! You're just as good as our dad used to be!"  
"Our dad?" Harry stopped and looked at Holly confused. Her eyes grew with fear as she realized what she'd said.

"I meant our dads. Your dad was a brilliant seeker, wasn't he? And my dad used to be a good Quidditch player himself… when he was alive. He's part of the reason I'm so passionate about the game. He was the one who taught me."

"Your dad was with the ministry, right?" asked Harry.

"Yeah," Holly sighed, remembering her foster father. She glanced over at Hagrid's hut and saw a dog watching them. That's when she remembered.

"DAMN!" She swore, making every player on the team stare at her for a minute. "SIRIUS!"

"What?!" Harry, Fred, George and Oliver screamed. The girls just stared. But Holly ignored them. She jogged off to the castle.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Oh Sirius!" Holly cried, tossing the dog a large steak, "I'm SO sorry I didn't come last night! I never remember to do anything. I get Bs and Cs on my schoolwork!" the dog made it's transformation into a ragged human.

"Is it that you forget to do things or that you don't want to do them?" At first, Holly thought he was accusing her, but then she saw the smile on his face.

"I shouldn't even be helping you in the first place, Black!" she snapped, viciously. "Don't you even think you're on friendly terms with me! I loath you, Sirius Black." Black's face fell.

"You were a lot nicer last time we met," said Sirius.  
"I was in a good mood."  
"I would have thought you'd be in a good mood today, after that spectacular match."

"You were WATCHING?" Holly's mouth dropped. Sirius smiled.

"Of course I was watching. I always watch Harry's matches."

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't turn you in right now…" Holly murmured, shaking her head.

"You owe me," said Black, his smile widening. "I saved your life."  
"No, you didn't save my life, you merely refrained from killing me. There's a difference." Sirius was still grinning as he munched on his T-bone, the only real food he'd get for at least two nights if Holly forgot again.

"You still owe me," he said with his mouth full.

"You killed my parents, I owe you nothing." Sirius was grinning and nodding as he chewed his steak.

"Yes you do," he said, shaking the bone at her with a grin.

"No I DON'T! And STOP MOCKING ME!"

"You are in a bad mood, aren't you?"

"I'm going now. You don't mind if I leave, do you? I have no business here. I'll probably go insane or something…" Holly was still mumbling to herself about what a hassle it was to take care of an escaped convict as she walked off towards the castle. Sirius's grin was still in place.

"She gets _that_ from Lily," he said.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Holly sneaked in through the portrait hole and luckily, everyone was too busy watching Fred and George juggle butterbeer bottles to notice her tardiness. She grinned and joined the crowd in cheering Fred and George on. She caught Harry talking to Hermione out of the corner of her eye. Hermione seemed upset. She frowned a bit but decided it was better not to interfere. She heard a particularly loud comment from Ron that she knew was directed at Hermione. Hermione began to cry and ran up to her dormitories.

Holly sadly shook her head. She felt like going over to Ron and telling him to stop but it seemed Harry was one step ahead of her. She stayed out of it. It was her brother's business, not hers.

Fred and George jumped down from the table.  
"Where've you been?" they asked her. She held up three bottles of butterbeer.

"Want some?"

"Nah, we've had our fair share," said Fred, looking back at the table. Holly grinned and set two of the bottles down, opening one for herself.

"This looks great, you two. The secret passages from the map?"

"Yeah. But we don't use the map itself anymore. We gave it too-"

"A friend," Fred interrupted his twin and gave him a warning look. Holly frowned.

"Which friend?"

"A friend," George repeated his brother. "Where've you been tonight?"

"With… A friend." Holly became very interested in a fly on the windowsill.  
"OK." Fred nodded.

__

"OK then!" Holly nodded. Let them keep their secrets, she thought, and I'll keep mine.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Holly had drifted into a peaceful sleep when she was abruptly awoken by a terrible scream all the way from the boys' dormitories.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Holly seemed to be tangled in her bed sheets and tried desperately to untie herself from the white linen binds.

"Argh!" she muttered and the other four girls heard a thump as Holly was unsuccessful and fell on the floor, tearing down her bed curtains. Kristen lit her lamp. From her position on the floor, Holly had now succeeded in tangling herself in both her bed sheets and her bed curtains. She could vividly see the grin on Kristen's face. The other girls were slowly getting up.  
"What's going on?" asked Megan.

"I have no idea," said Jenna. Both of them were grinning as they saw Holly on the floor angrily fighting with her sheets. They looked at Kristen who was now laughing so hard she fell out of her own bed. Kristen straightened up again, her short black hair as neat as usual. It seemed as though her hair was never in a mess.

"You OK there, Holly?" Holly gave a loud frustrated growl in reply.

"ARGH!" She screamed.

"Here, let me help you to your feet." Jenna grabbed Holly's arm and pulled her out of the tangle of sheets. Jenna was silently chuckling.

"Where's Maria?" asked Holly.

"Asleep, as usual. She'd sleep through a tornado. Is that what woke us up? You falling on the floor?" answered Megan. Maria gave a small grunt form her bed and turned away from Kristen's lamp.

"No!" Holly snapped, angrily. "I heard a scream."  
"Me too," Kristen agreed.

"I'm going to check it out," Holly said. "Come on, Kristen."

Kristen and Holly went out into the common room.  
"What's all the noise?" asked Holly.

"Professor McGonagall told us to go to bed!" Kristen hissed. Many people were coming down from their dormitories to see what was going on. Holly saw Fred and George gallop down the stairs.

"Excellent, are we carrying on?" said Fred, brightly. Percy pushed his way through the small crowd.

"Everyone back upstairs!" he was pinning his Head Boy badge to his pajamas as he spoke. Holly saw Ron run up to his brother.

"Perce— Sirius Black!" he said, faintly. "In our dormitory! With a knife! Woke me up!"

The common room went very still and Holly's eyes flared with hatred. Harry's gaze flickered over to her. He had never seen any strong emotion in her before other than happiness. He never remembered her being angry. He saw her clench her hands into fists.

"Nonsense!" Percy was saying, looking startled. "You had too much to eat, Ron— had a nightmare—"

"I'm telling you—"

"Harry, can I borrow your broomstick?" Holly hissed, coolly. Harry nodded slowly.  
"Sure, I'll go—"  
"No, I have a better idea." Holly pulled out her wand. "_Accio _Firebolt!" the broom came soaring down from Harry's room and Holly caught it firmly in her hand. Fred and George stared as she mounted it and flew straight out the window.

"And she gets Bs and Cs in her classes when she does that?" George cried, shocked.


	6. Crime and Punishment

__

A/N: I really have nothing to say this time. This is just for the purpose of carrying on the tradition of having an author's note at the beginning of every chapter. I hope you enjoy this chapter. If you do, REVIEW. If you don't REVIEW ANYWAY! Flames are accepted, everyone has an opinion, but people who can criticize constructively rather than yell are more respected. Thank you.

Chapter Six: Crime and Punnishment

Holly soared in the cool night air looking at the grounds for any sign of an escaping black dog.

"Here, doggy, doggy, doggy!" she cried. She had never been so angry in her life. Black had broken his promise to her and she was pissed off. She saw him running towards Hogsmeade. She sped up and felt the cold wind whipping at her bright red hair and nightgown as she dived and cut Sirius off. The dog stopped and transformed.

"You son of a bitch!" she screamed, getting off her broom and pushing him down.

"Holly, listen to me—"

"You broke your promise, you bastard!" Holly spat at him. "I knew it, I knew I should have never trusted you, you scumbag!"

"You owe me!"

"I owe you nothing any more Sirius Black. Do you know the real reason I didn't turn you in? After all Remus told me about his adventures with you, James and Peter I thought, 'No, this can't be the same Sirius Black who killed my parents! No, there must have been some mistake. He had to have been forced into it! He didn't really want to kill Harry. He's a good guy, he wouldn't betray my dad!' But then I remembered all those innocent muggles you killed in that street just to get to Pettigrew! You are nothing but a lying piece of scum and the fact that I defended you, that I _lied_ for you disgusts me! You disgust me, Sirius Black!" Holly hissed his name. All the while she'd been making threatening gestures with her wand.

"Now Holly, calm down—"

"I will NOT calm down! I rarely get angry, Black, but you've really done it! I'm turning you in, I'm taking you to Dumbledore and you're going to get what you deserve!"

"Holly, no!" Sirius cried.

Forgetting magic, Holly went for the old fashioned technique of physical strength. How she thought she could overpower a vicious murderer more than twice her age was beyond her, but she was so full of anger that it took control of the logic in her mind. She lunged at him and pushed him down. He struggled with her.

"Holly— this— doesn't— fix— ANYTHING! Get OFF me!"

"No!" Holly screamed, tearing at his long, matted and greasy black hair. She was screaming like a lunatic. "Not— until— you— agree— to— come— with— ME!"

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" Sirius screamed, throwing the girl off.  
"You're damn right I don't!" Holly panted on the ground, staring at the man. "Why don't you just kill me, huh Black? Kill me right now and you'll be rid of me! Go on, I dare you!"

"I don't want to hurt you, Holly!"  
"What's the matter, Black? Azkaban made you soft?" Holly hissed. Black sighed as Holly caught her breath on the ground. She looked down, then up at her enemy again.

"I'll give you a five second head start," she said. "But don't think for one minute this changes anything between us. You killed my parents and someday, Black, I'm going to kill you. I don't know when, I don't know where, and I don't know how but I'm going to kill you. You can count on me for that." Holly mounted her broom.

"One…"

"Holly, please, listen—"

"TWO!…" Holly interrupted.

"If you would just—"

"THREE…"

"Pettigrew! He's not—"

"FOUR!"

"FINE!" Sirius screamed, transformed into a dog and began to bound away. Holly sighed.

"Five," she said and took off on her brother's broomstick.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

McGonagall was chastising Neville Longbottom when Holly foolishly flew back in through the window. The common room was empty again except for Neville and McGonagall.  
"HOLLY PHILLIPS!" she cried, causing a few heads to poke out of their rooms again, including Harry, Ron, Hermione and the twins.

"WHAT?!" Holly screamed back, angrily. McGonagall was taken aback. So were the students watching. "I am SICK and TIRED of everyone LYING!!!" she then fell to her knees and began to breathe very hard. Harry wondered if she was hyperventilating.

McGonagall gave Neville one last look and told him to go up to bed. She then walked to Holly on the floor.

"You will NEVER speak like that to a teacher again, do you understand Miss Phillips?" she said. Holly nodded slowly. "You will show RESPECT for your elders! Ten points from Gryffindor for your foolish flying at night without permission and your lack of respect!" Holly looked up at the Professor and whispered something so quietly that the students listening could barely hear.

"You may want to do more than that after you hear what I have to say, Professor," she whispered. McGonagall helped Holly to her feet.

"Out with it, then!" she cried. Holly looked beyond McGonagall at the watching eyes. Her expression was impassive. McGonagall turned and noticed what she was looking at.

"All of you, to bed!" she screamed. Doors slammed instantly and McGonagall turned to Holly. "Yes?"

"Black."  
"What about him?"

"I… Wait, how much detention do I have already?" asked Holly.

"Two weeks. Continue." Holly swallowed. She knew after this, she'd get another two weeks.

No one slept that night. Harry and Ron couldn't hear what Holly was telling McGonagall and neither could anyone else it seemed. But they all heard whispers from the common room, some were harsh. Finally, McGonagall's shout rang through Gryffindor tower and possibly the whole school.

"YOU DID _WHAT_???"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Hello, Holly." Neville gave Holly a weak smile as she walked in the dank dungeons— late.

"Miss Phillips?" The horrible, greasy haired professor sneered at the girl.

"Don't even ask me why I'm late, Professor, I've had a bad enough day as it is!" Holly snapped.  
"It seems your terrible temper has surfaced at age fifteen. You were so obedient in the early years."  
"Ok, look, two words: Bite. Me."

"Oh, yes, and now you've gone American on me too, have you?"

"They have good expressions when it comes to telling people to SOD OFF!"  
"That's ENOUGH, young lady! Five points from Gryffindor and sit down next to Longbottom this instant!" Holly didn't move.

"What am I going to do for the next two hours?"

"I will give you your assignment when you SIT DOWN!" Snape cried, slamming his fist on the desk. Holly, pouting, took her seat. "You may be a C average student, Miss Phillips—"

"WHAT?" Holly interrupted, standing up again. "C average! Last I checked, I was at least a B average student!"

"Last you checked, Miss. Phillips," Snape hissed, icily, "must have been at the end of last year! Your grades have taken a turn for the worse ever since this year began!"  
"Only in your class…" Holly muttered as she slipped down into her chair again. Snape pretended not to hear her.

"It seems," he continued, "that you are distracted by something." Holly ignored him.

"What's my assignment, then?" she asked, dryly. Snape slammed a five-inch book with a thick maroon cover on Holly's desk. Holly stared at it, expressionless for a moment, then looked at Snape, awaiting further instructions.  
"You are to write a six-foot essay about werewolves explaining—"

"But you're the POTIONS Master! This is the POTIONS dungeon! What do WEREWOLVES have to do with POTIONS!"

"LET ME FINISH, MISS PHILLIPS!" Snape roared and Holly saw Neville flinch next to her. Holly rolled her eyes and forced a smile, ready to listen.

"You will write a six-foot essay about werewolves explaining the different kinds of experimenting there has been by many Potion Scientists to find a cure to help the men who's greatest fear is the full moon. You will discuss the attempts that have failed, and the small success stories. You will discuss the potions that can help a man when in the werewolf state and the ingredients to these potions. You should know a fair bit of this information already, so I think I'm letting you off fairly easy. Remember, Phillips, that this is also a chance to improve your C+ grade. I advise you take it seriously." Neville had been watching them fearfully with wide eyes and Holly glanced at him now. Snape whipped his head to stare at him and Neville felt his glare bore into him and went instantly back to his work.

Holly began looking through the book, most of it useless information, of course. Only Snape would do this to her. She was scanning through most of the potions and pictures, looking for the special mixture that Snape made for Lupin. Only a few minutes had passed when Snape said something to her, quite random and casual, without looking up from the book he was reading.

"What's the score, then, Holly?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"How's Potter doing on that new broomstick of his, hm?"

"I wouldn't know, sir."

"That's why you're late, isn't it? Watching the match?" Snape looked up from the book now, an expression of interest on his face. Holly tried to keep her own expression one of confusion.

"No, sir, I don't know what's happening in the match. I was late because I had lost the History of Magic essay Professor Binns told me to do. It was already late and I had to hand it in today otherwise, I'd fail."

"Five points again from your house, Phillips," said Snape, turning back to his book. Holly's eyes widened.  
"But Professor, that's not fair!"

"I saw you, by the way," he said. "I saw you at the pitch."

"But you were there too!" Holly protested. "In the front row!"  
"But _I_ was smart enough to make it back before you did, wasn't I? Did your watch stop, Miss Phillips?" But instead of retaliate, all Holly did was grin and turn back to her work. This was unusual and Snape didn't like it. "What, no fighting back?" Holly giggled.  
"Oooh, this must be KILLING you!" she laughed, flipping through the pages of her book.

"Excuse me?"  
"You really want to be there, don't you? I can't blame you, so do I. I was looking forward to seeing the look on your face when Gryffindor beat Slytherin."  
"Get back to your work, Miss Phillips! And five more points!" Holly was grinning for the rest of the two hours. She had won. It was merely a small victory, but she had stumped Severus Snape.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Yes, Miss Phillips, you can go now!" Snape was just as tired as Holly was.

"Thank you!" Holly sighed with relief. It was the first time she had ever felt any sort of gratitude to the Potions Master. It had taken her well over two hours to finish that essay he had assigned her, and he wouldn't let her leave when it was time to go until she had finished.

"One more thing though," Snape said as Holly was right at the door. Holly, her back still to him, flinched.

"Yes, Professor?" she said in the sweetest voice she could muster. She turned around with a big fake smile on her face.

"Never argue with me like that again especially in front of other students, are we clear?"  
"I wasn't arguing, I was trying to set the facts straight!"  
"Five more points from Gryffindor!"

"Five points?!" Holly cried, incredulously. "For saying that?"  
"TEN!"

"Ten?! But I didn't do anything!"

"FIFTEEN!!"

"Why not make it an even twenty??" Holly snapped, her voice oozing with sarcasm

"OK." Snape grinned. "Have it your way. Twenty points from Gryffindor. Wow, Miss Phillips, in one afternoon, you have caused your house to lose thirty-five points, I believe."

Grumbling, Holly exited. She wasn't happy at all. Snape was by far her least favorite teacher. Maybe she could get Remus to award her points for doing small things…


	7. Of Quidditch and Crushes

Chapter Seven: Of Quidditch and Crushes

Holly heaved a sigh as she gave the password to the Fat Lady and stepped through the portrait hole. She had missed the match and it's outcome and was normally devastated by the fact, but at the moment, she didn't really care. She just wanted to have some peace and quiet and some decent rest.

Unfortunately, she would be unable to even have this. As she entered the common room, she was ambushed.  
"WE WON!" Fred shrieked as he knocked her over and pinned her to the ground. "We did it, we actually did it! The chasers did the chasing, Wood did the keeping, Harry did the seeking and we knocked those bludgers at Malfoy a million times and we actually WON!"

"Can you believe it, Hol?" screamed George, kneeling down by Holly's head and shaking her shoulders. "The Quidditch Cup… IT'S OURS!"  
"They were MAGNIFICENT, Holly!" Lee shouted, kneeling down on Holly's other side. "You should have seen it, really! I mean, the whole game was just like—"

"You should have seen the look on Flint's face when I sent that bludger his way…" Fred was shaking his head dreamily. He snapped out of it and pushed George's hands off of Holly's shoulders and grabbed them himself. He shook them violently.  
"_Why weren't you THERE, Holly?_" He demanded.

"Stop— Shaking— Me!" Holly said. "And GET OFF!" She pushed the young Weasley off of her and stood up. "First of all, I'm guessing by the way you're all acting, that we won. Secondly, I did see the game. The beginning anyway. Then I realized I was late for my detention with Snape and had to run back so I missed the end. Thirdly, do you know how many points Snape took away from our house just because I argued with him?" There was a slight pause. Then, Lee, Fred and George all screamed simultaneously.

"WE WON!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Harry, Ron and Hermione were silent after the finals. Holly wasn't quite sure why.

"Holly…" Harry said when he saw her out on the grounds one day. "I heard you gave Sirius Black some food for a while before he broke into Gryffindor Tower. Is this true?" Holly looked around nervously and sighed.

"Harry, there's something I have to tell you. Please, understand, I didn't mean any harm to anyone. You see, Professor Lupin and I… I've known Remus for a long time."  
"Yeah."  
"And… Well, he told me stories. About your dad and Black and Peter Petigrew and himself. And… Well, I just thought… This _can't_ be the same Sirius Black who killed my— Who killed James and Lily Potter. He wouldn't do that… Would he? So I gave him a chance, one last chance. I said to him, I said 'Black! You better promise me one thing or else I'm turning you in. I'm giving you one last chance. You are not going to hurt anyone. Not a soul especially not… Especially not Harry Potter. Because if you do, I swear, I will make sure you get what you deserve.' I'm sorry, Harry! I just didn't realize how dangerous he was!" Harry ignored her last comment.

"And… To this deal, what did he say."  
"He accepted," said Holly. "But… he wanted one condition that I found extremely odd…"

"What?"  
"He asked me if he could kill Peter Pettigrew… It was really strange. I think he went insane. I mean, really, I think he is insane." Harry smiled.

"He kept his promise, Holly. Peter Pettigrew is already dead. You can't kill someone twice. Double jeopardy, you know?" Holly nodded with a weak smile.

"Yeah," she said. "You're right." Both of them went their separate ways, both with secrets that the other deserved to know. And both secrets would soon be revealed. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The oddness of their conversation struck Holly as she was walking with the Weasley twins. How did he know about her relationship with Black? Did he know about their fraternity? No, that was impossible. But still… McGonagall would never have told any of the students about what happened, not even Harry. Neither would Dumbledore or any other teacher that knew. _How did he know?_

Holly pushed any thoughts of the strange and mysterious conversation between Harry and herself out of her mind. She looked up at the sun setting over the horizon and sighed. It always soothed her nerves to walk the Weasley twins back from the Quidditch field. They always had something interesting to say or do to her. Oliver Wood had called the team there to bask in the glory of the Quidditch Cup and to say some final words before he graduated. However, Holly didn't know that he had something to say to _her_ as well.

Fred was explaining in detail how marvelous he looked when he hit this bludger away from Harry and at Draco Malfoy, the Slytherin seeker, so Harry could catch the snitch. It was all because of him, according to his view. George was nodding along and rolling his eyes at parts, whispering insults and laughing behind his back. Holly could barely keep from laughing, but the smile on her face was evident. Fred was just trying to recreate the sound the bludger made when his club hit it when Holly heard her name being called. She turned around and saw Oliver Wood, still in his Quidditch robes trying to catch up with her.

"Hey," he panted as he finally got there. Holly smiled.

"Hello." Fred and George both rolled their eyes and walked on.

"Lets leave the two love birds alone, shall we George?" Fred laughed as he and his brother continued towards the castle. Holly started to laugh nervously.

"Ignore them," she said to Wood. "They like to play jokes."  
"Yeah, I kinda… know that…" Holly started to laugh harder.

"Oh, right! Because they're on the Quidditch team!"

"For the past… four years…" There was an awkward silence between them.

"So…" Holly tried to break the silence. "I, um, like your shoes."

"They're muddy."  
"They're still some nice shoes."

"They're really muddy."  
"But I like the color."  
"You can't even see the shoe through the mud…" Oliver was examining his feet. Holly bit her lip.

"But it's a nice muddy brown color, don't you think?"

"Yeah… I, uh, like your necklace…" Oliver said with a weak smile.  
"I'm not wearing a necklace."

"Oh, well, I'm sure it would look nice if you were wearing one." Oliver squirmed. Holly broke into a smile.

"That's so sweet!" she said, sincerely, "Thank you!"

"Yeah…"

"You're graduating this year, aren't you?"

"Um… Yeah… And you're not."

"Yeah, I'm not."

"Well, I just wanted to say that it was great seeing you at practices, watching us, you know?" I actually came to watch you, Holly thought.

"Yeah, well, what can I say, I love Quidditch! And the Weasleys are kind of my best friends. And Harry is kind of my brother… I mean, like my brother… I mean… Oh, never mind!" Oliver laughed.

"I get what you mean."

"Good." Holly flashed him a smile. She does have a nice smile, Oliver thought, I wonder if she's dating anyone.

"So, are you seeing anyone?" Holly's heart skipped a beat and her eyes widened.

"No!" She cried, and hit herself for sounding a little too over-enthusiastic. Oliver nodded.

"This is kind of hard to say, but…"  
"Go on!" Holly waited with battered breath for that one question…

"Would you go out with a friend of mine?" 

"I— yes, I'd…" she started, excitedly. "Wait, what?" she asked, dully, raising her eyebrow. 

"See, this friend of mine called Cedric— He's in Hufflepuff, only a year older than you— Well, after our match with him this year I kind of held a grudge against him. Good-for-nothing little twerp! I'll teach him to show up my seeker… I mean, he's a great guy." Oliver laughed. "Seriously, though, he is nice. We became good friends. Well, he's noticed you around. He thinks you have a great smile. He thinks you're really cute. In fact, he would have told you himself, the only problem is he doesn't have any classes with you— Because he's in Hufflepuff— So he asked me to ask you. He really is great. I know you don't know him very well, but—"

"I know Cedric…" Holly sighed, kicking herself for making such a fool of herself. She was becoming very interested in a ladybird on a blade of grass. It was slowly inching up the plant, trying to get to the top. Go, little ladybird, go! Oh no, it fell off…

"Well?" Oliver prompted.

"Um…" Holly hesitated. Cedric seemed more like the person she'd befriend. He liked Quidditch, though, that was a start. But he was too smart. Holly couldn't stand people who were smart. They made her feel so stupid, especially since she herself was a B average student (except in Potions).

"Good-for-nothing Snape…" she muttered. "No one likes you…"  
"Excuse me?"

"Sure," Holly finally sighed. She gave Oliver a wan smile. "Why not?" Oliver grinned at her.

"Great!" he exclaimed. "He really wants to get to know you better. He wants to meet you by the lake tomorrow at noon. That sound OK?"

"I'd rather it was you I was meeting."

"Sorry?"  
"I said you should be leaving. And so should I. Yeah, Oliver, that sounds great—"

"Oh look!" crooned the voice of her brother's enemy. "It's Holly and Ollie! What a cute couple!" Holly shivered and turned. She forced a smile.

"Why if it isn't little Draco. Is it just me, or have you gotten shorter since I last saw you?"

"Oh, Holly, don't be so harsh!" Oliver said. "He's just vertically challenged!" Malfoy scowled at the pair of them.  
"I'm NOT short!"

"You just keep telling yourself that and maybe you'll grow taller!" Holly patted him on the head like a small child. Malfoy sighed and rolled his eyes.

"This is beneath me," he said. He then grinned at Holly and Oliver. "I received an owl this morning and wanted to be the first to tell you: You two are winning the Most Pathetic Couple of the Year Award. Yes, the ballots are in and this award goes to… Holly and Ollie!"  
"Don't make me kick your ass," said Oliver. "I can do it in something other than Quidditch. It's called a good old fashioned beating." Malfoy dismissed his words with a wave of his hand.

"Yeah, whatever," he said.

"And if you call me Ollie again, I swear that I will shove your head so far up your ass, you wished you had a flashlight in your nose."

"Yes, Wood, that's what you do best: empty threats. Anyway, there is a reason I am here."

"Please tell me you forgot what it was." Holly's eyes were shut tight and her fists were clenched. She was muttering something.

"What is it Holly?" Oliver asked. She didn't reply, but her muttering became louder.

"If I close my eyes, this will all go away like a bad dream. If I close my eyes, maybe he'll disappear. If I close my eyes…"

"You'll be very disappointed to learn that your favorite werewolf is moving out," said Malfoy with a grin. Holly's eyes snapped open and she stared at him.  
"What?" her jaw dropped. Oliver was confused.

"Yes. He just announced it at dinner. Snape told everyone in all of his classes! Lupin's out of a job."

"I thought that werewolf thing was just a rumor Snape was spreading…" Oliver frowned. Holly sighed.

"I should go see him."


	8. All Good Things Must Come to an End

__

A/N: OK, this is the end of the first installment. I realized how short it was as I was writing the second one which is at least three times as long. I apologize for the curtness of this story. I assure you, the second one is longer and far more interesting.

Chapter Eight: All Good Things Must Come to and End

"You're leaving?"

"You've heard."

"You _can't_ leave! I won't _let_ you leave! _Harry_ won't let you leave!"

"Harry's come to see me. He knows he can't do anything." Lupin was packing away the last of his things. Holly stood there, staring at him.

"Remus, you… You CAN'T! You're the only person I can talk to about my parents without drawing attention to myself!"  
"There are such things as quills, parchment, and owls you know, Holly. Or do you?" Lupin looked playfully at Holly who scowled.

"But it's not fair!"

"Please, Holly, I already went through this with your brother."  
"I don't GIVE a damn who you went through it with already! You can't leave me here with Snape!" Lupin laughed out loud and turned to Holly with a grin.

"Really, Holly, Snape isn't _that_ bad… Well, I never thought…" Lupin's eyes looked glazed as if he was remembering something for a moment. Finally, he gave a little chuckle and went back to packing.  
"You never thought what?"  
"I never thought that after all that happened between us that I'd be defending Snape. Heh… James, if you were in my place you would probably be encouraging your daughter and making fun of Snape at the same time… What a great father you would have been…" There was a smile on his face as he continued to pack. Holly sighed.

"Who's it gonna be next year, then?" she finally asked. Remus paused and thought.

"I think I heard Dumbledore saying something about an Auror…"  
"An Auror?"

"Yes… And old friend of his. I can assume it's Alastar Moody. Or Edmund Ikeman… No, Alastar Moody sounds about right… Yes, Moody."

"Alastar Moody? As in, Mad-Eye Moody?"

"You will not be calling him by that name though," Lupin warned her. She nodded, obediently. Lupin put his last item into his bag and sighed. He took one last look around the room.  
"I'm going to miss this place," he sighed. He picked up his bag and was about to leave.

"Remus?" Holly cried, timidly. He turned in the doorway.

"I just wanted to say… You're like a father to me Remus. Really, you are." Remus smiled kindly back at his adopted niece.

"And you're like my own daughter, Holly." He was about to leave again when she called his name again.  
"That said, Remus," she said. "I would just like to ask you… What went on that night? With Sirius Black and Harry and Ron and Hermione and Snape? And keep in mind that a daughter has the right to know what's going on with her father." Lupin's eyes widened as he realized.

"Oh Holly!" he cried. "I just remembered! I'm so sorry, but I forgot to tell you! There's something important I have to tell you about Sirius and Peter Pettigrew!" Lupin looked at his watch and cursed it. "Damn! I have to go soon. I'll write you an owl… Or I could get Harry to tell you, but he would find that suspicious. I'll write you. Goodbye, Holly. I'll see you in the summer." Holly nodded.

"Goodbye, Remus." She sighed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Holly gaped as she walked over to the lake. There was Cedric, sitting on a blanket with a picnic basket. Holly took out the clip that held her crimson hair in a ponytail and let it cascade down her back like a red waterfall. At that moment, Cedric turned. Holly was still surprised.

"A… A picnic?" she said. Cedric grinned.

"I wasn't planning on it, but then I had no time to eat. Have you eaten?" Holly shook her head. "Good. Sit down, I have a few sandwiches." Holly sat down. 

"So, how did you do on your finals?" Holly asked, trying to make conversation. Cedric frowned and took a bight of his sandwich.

"I'm not sure. I think I did OK, though. I always do OK. You?"

"Failed." Cedric laughed and Holly joined in. He was actually quite attractive. But…

"I felt as if I should tell you this in person and not through Oliver…" Holly sighed. She had to say this sooner or later.

"What is it, Holly?" Cedric sounded concerned and it nearly broke Holly's heart to say this.

"I'm sorry, Cedric, but I don't really… I was wondering… You'll hate me for saying this because everyone always says this but I actually mean it… I was wondering if we could just, you know, be like, friends first." Holly saw the expression on Cedric's face and could see his heart breaking in his eyes. She felt so guilty.

"Yeah…" Cedric said, quietly. "You're right. It probably is better that way. I mean, you don't know me very well and… And you're right. Besides, it's the end of the school year and…"  
"Maybe," Holly interrupted, trying to salvage the pieces of the heart she broke. "Maybe we can be friends over the summer and, well, you know, write to each other and maybe even see each other once in a while… You seem like a great guy… And maybe… Maybe then we could, you know, get together or something in the fall." Cedric smiled sincerely.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Yeah, thanks Holly." Holly grinned.

"It will be great to know you, Cedric. Great."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Holly gave one last look to the school before she stepped on the train and sighed.

"Excuse me, Holly, but some people would like to get through!" Fred growled. Holly snapped out of her trance and looked at the twins.

"Oh, sorry!" she cried. "I'm moving, I'm moving!"

"So, how was your year?" George asked.

"Full of surprises," Holly answered. "And I have a bad feeling that next year is going to be full of a lot more."

****

TBC


End file.
